
African-American Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs is arrested on suspicion of murder by Bill Gillespie, the racist police chief of tiny Sparta, Mississippi. After Tibbs proves not only his own innocence but that of another man, he joins forces with Gillespie to track down the real killer. Their investigation takes them through every social level of the town, with Tibbs making enemies as well as unlikely friends as he hunts for the truth.

Sidney Poitier
Virgil Tibbs

Rod Steiger
Police Chief Bill Gillespie

Warren Oates
Deputy Sam Wood

Peter Whitney
Deputy Courtney

Lee Grant
Mrs. Leslie Colbert

Anthony James
Ralph

William Schallert
Mayor Schubert

Scott Wilson
Harvey Oberst

Larry Gates
Eric Endicott

James Patterson
Mr. Purdy

Quentin Dean
Delores Purdy
Kermit Murdock
Henderson

Our Souls at Night
Our Souls at Night

O Brother, Where Art Thou?
O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Freaks
Freaks

Bad Education
Bad Education

Wings of Desire
Wings of Desire

Breaking the Waves
Breaking the Waves

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

The 400 Blows
The 400 Blows

Minority Report
Minority Report

The Good German
The Good German

Lucky Number Slevin
Lucky Number Slevin

The Wages of Fear
The Wages of Fear